PS2 Online vs XBOX Live: Facts and Price Comparsions

Which is going to be better for gamers? I have both the PS2 and XBox and I am very satisfied with both purchases but I am convinced that XbOX LiVe will have a better online service. Here are the facts I have accumulated.

PS2 Online:

1. Will support BB and NB. I dont know about you peeps but playing with someone who has NB while i have BB will make the game more laggy.

2. You have to buy a network adapter and maybe a Hardrive to go online.
               *Netowork Adapter: $ 39.99  
               * Whopping 40 gig Hardrive:  $149.99

3. Sony (itself) will not charge for the online service because it will leave it up to the publishers (EA,Square, Capcom,...etc.) running the servers.
       * Square will charge up 14.95 per month per game

4. Most games for Sony online will be BB only!!! ex. SOCOM (come with Headset Communicator and a free Twisted Metal Black online game0

5. Need a different username and password for each sever you go to.
 
6. No buddy list



XBOX LiVe:

1. Broadband (Cable or DSL) only. = NO LAG!!!

2. Have to purchase XBOX LIVE: 49.95 (includes a year subscription to XBOX LiVe, headset communicator, and a game called Revolt)

3. Built in 10 gig hardrive and ethernet port

4. Only one Username and password is needed!

5. Buddy List
 

Online Price Comparison:

PS2:
PS2 $299.99 (which most of us payed) or $199.99
Network Adapter: $39.99
Hardrive : $159.99
Headset Communicator (34.99) if you dont purchase SOCOM)
ISP: 9.95 to 49.99(broadband)
Games: $0.00 to $14.95 per month to play

Total:
Hardware:  $434.96 to 534.96 with purchase of Hardrive and Headset Communicator)
Online:
NarrowBand Users: $9.95-$22.95 plus sevice $0.00 to $14.95 per month and per game
Total: $9.95 - $37.95 per month
Broadband users : $49.95 per month plus service $0.00 to $14.95 per month
Total: $49.95 to $64.95 per month

XBOX:

XBOX: $299.99 (I paid) to $199.99
XBOX LiVe started disk: $49.99 ( includes Headset Communicator, One year subscription to XBoX live, and Revolt)
ISP: $49.99 per month for DSL or CABLE

Total :
Hardware: $249.98 to $349.98 (includes Starter disk)
Online: $49.99 per month

Tidbits:

EA (known for games such as Madden and NBA Live) is currently not going to have its games online for the XBOX because it plans to charge money for playing online. MS is trying to negociate a deal so it came come to XBOX LiVe.

Alot of forums are saying that it will cost $9.95 a month after your subscriptin to XBOX runs out. This is not necessarily true because MS has not released a press statement yet!!!!

Nice first post...

Personally, I\'m looking forward to the Xbox Live service...but it is inaccessible to me at this time.  I will eventually get BB and then no doubt Xbox Live.  I\'m interested in Halo Online, Whacked, among some others...not enough however to warrant getting BB along with its\' monthly fee.

Yeah nice 1st post

I am on the other hand am waiting for Final Fantasy XI ,and i am willing to pay to play. looks like the motivation for going online will be to play the games you love

For Ginko is Halo Online
For me its Final Fantasy and Timesplitters.

anyway in the mean time i am off to play some TFC on the Blueyonder server.

Thanks!!!!!

This will most likely be moved sooner or later to the Console Debate forum, so I\'ll go on and make a reply:

Your comparasment does seem to be pretty accurate, although you are only viewing the picture out of your perspective. Imagine some of the many Americans that simply canot have BB in their area. For them, it\'s either the above calculated $150 + monthly fees for PS2 online - or no online play at all. I do agree however that Xbox Live does have the edge when going around the lags that will occur due to PS2 supporting both BB and NB. The most important thing that I feel you left out in your comparasment is the online games for both platforms, as they will decide over which company has the better online service. I think you already hinted it with EA currently not supporting XBox live - which is a serious problem IMO, especially if more will follow. Lets hope not though.

All in all though, both have their distinct advantages. Lets see what games they bring first and then everyone can decide which they think is really better.

BTW:
1.) PS2 will not require a HDD for all games.
2.) You overpriced the HDD if I am not mistaken.

Not sure we need this thread--it\'s been discussed and flamed about for weeks/months.

You are kidding yourself if you think there\'ll be no lag.  It\'s just not possible with current technology.

I\'ll probably be online with both, but am more excited about xbox.  It does come down to games.  Personally, I\'d rather play Unreal than Timesplitters.  Add in all the other stuff about XBL and it\'s hard to go back to dialup.

I\'m looking forward to xbox\'s more simple because Halo and Unreal Championship both online.  But PS2 will atleast have Socom.

Hey, since when has having already beaten a topic to death kept a thread from being started?

One question I\'ve never seen come up is what would prevent Sony from segregating 56k users from BB? If it could be done it certainly would go a long way towards creaming what\'s left of the ‘which plan offers the best service\' debate.

MSL has a lot more going for it than BB only.

Actually we BB people play warcraft 3 online with the 56k weenies and there is no lag between us.  It\'s not so much your connection speed as it is the quality of your ISP and how many packets said game sends back and forth.

No lag?  Are you playing your neighbour kiddy corner to your ISP?

Anyway, most types of games can manage over a dial up connection, but try playing with dial up in a FPS, with a 6, 8, 12, 32 players and see how well it goes.  That\'s when you\'ll have problems.

Or just look at the DC for a pretty good idea of how things are going to be on the PS2.  Football will be okay, FPSs will be boarderline playable or look at a game like Chu Chu Rocket--lag ruined that game.

If it\'s a game that is fast and requires split-second timing, lag will get in the way.  It will still be playable, but it will frustrate you and kill you at the most inopportune times (or so it seems).

I for one will not play a single PS2 game that uses both dial up and BB.  I cannot go back.

"MSL has a lot more going for it than BB only"

Not to say it\'s trivial but past the cash to get started, what exactly do you mean. A buddy list?

Different games sure, they\'ll each have their share though. Established previous experience is a bit of a toss up, isn\'t it? What then?

The buddy list lets you contact a friend (if the person is online) to play a game, it can also tell you what game they are playing, ask them to join a friend in a game your currently playing (vice versa)!!!
 Check out the TRAILORS for XbOX liVe

http://chickensoupfordummies.com/xbox/movies/XboxLive.wmv

http://xboxmaniak.com/?page=video2&nbr=7

Watchdog:

I for one will not play a single PS2 game that uses both dial up and BB. I cannot go back.

But like Heretic said (well, kind of said), just because both dial up and BB can play online doesn\'t mean they have to play together.  Don\'t most online games show the ping of every user there?  It\'s easy just to boot off the people you don\'t want playing with you.

Heretic, I don\'t want complete segragation between BB and dial up though.  Because what if I want to play against my brother across the country but he\'s on BB and I\'m on dial up, or visa versa?  I want to have the option to play with people on slower connections.

there are SO many inacuracies in the 1st post above, it pathetic

you should be ashamed to call them "facts"

as usual, watch says it best

Not sure we need this thread--it\'s been discussed and flamed about for weeks/months.